Katherine ~ Anya Seton

Katherine, first published in 1954, is considered one of the greatest love stories of all time. I can see why.

At sixteen years of age, Katherine de Roet, a peasant girl (whose sister was lady-in-waiting to King Edward III's queen, Philippa), married Sir Hugh Swynford, a knight in King Edward's court. She bore Hugh two children, Thomas and Blanche, before Hugh died several years into the marriage. The years she was married to Hugh, she also bore an intense love for John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster and the King's third son. With Katherine now a widow, she and John give in to their desire for each other and embark on a long-term love affair, which produced four children. And this is a love story with a happy ending; after years spent apart in the aftermath of a painful rift, John and Katherine reunite and are married.

With the backdrop of England in the 14th century, Katherine is a beautiful novel about an enduring love. At 500 pages long, the novel is filled with a plethora of medieval history. Katherine and John of Gaunt were real people, which makes this breathtaking tale of love all the more fascinating. Anya Seton did such an amazing job, not only in describing the horrors of the Plague and the peasant revolts, but also in conveying 14th century court life and the feelings of the characters. She wrote one heck of a love story!

As with all historical novels, the reader isn't sure exactly what is factually based and what isn't. But from the small bit of research I've done on Katherine and John since finishing the book, I've discovered that Katherine is indeed a well-researched, accurate novel.

And I loved it.

5/5